Central Coast California Real Estate

We're getting our first look at the man hit and killed in a hit and run Sunday in Nipomo.

The CHP says Fabian Alexander, 46, was hit as he was walking across the Highway 101 offramp at Highway 166 East.

Investigators are still looking for the driver of a dark blue Chevrolet Corvette.

 

Permalink| Comments

The San Luis Obispo County Band will continue it's new Springtime Series entitled "Classic Concerts in Historical Places" at the SLO Masonic Lodge on Sunday, May 27th. The first concert was at the Dallidet Abode in April. A special musical guest group is also featured during each of these afternoons of music and history.

The County Band is partnering with these venues and their docent organizations for the Sunday afternoon concerts. Special historical displays and tours will also be featured during each afternoon. A $10 per adult donation is suggested at the door.

The Sunday afternoon, May 27th, concert is at the SLO Masonic Hall at 859 Marsh Street in San Luis Obispo. The San Luis Obispo Trumpet Alliance will perform at 1:00 p.m., followed by the San Luis Obispo County Band at 2 p.m. Parking will be available in the adjoining city parking structure. The Hall is on the second floor of the building. You can get there by using the grand stairway from Marsh St. or an elevator immediately around the corner from the main entrance.

 

Permalink| Comments

If you missed it on our late news Wednesday night, a lot of people were pretty fired up at the Santa Maria Bonita School Board Meeting.

Their target? Outspoken School Board Member Will Smith. Community members packed Wednesday night's board meeting to show their disapproval with Smith.

Board President Linda Cordero proposed censuring him, and the board approved a committee to investigate his behavior. Meanwhile, parents have already served him with an official intent to recall.

About 200 people showed up to the meeting. Not a single person spoke out in favor of Smith. There has been so much talk of his antics, we wanted to focus on what it means for education in the classroom.

To say there was passion at Wednesday night's school board meeting would be putting it lightly.

"We will recall you," said Glenn Goldin, who's spearheading the movement to recall Smith.

As he served Smith with an intent to recall, the crowd erupted but none of it phased Smith.

"It does not bother me. They've got a long way to go," he said.

Smith has previously compared himself to Martin Luther King Jr. or Caesar Chavez with his outspoken nature.

"I have the floor and I would appreciate it if you would bring counsel into order," Smith shouted.

At times, the meeting seemed to have overtones of a melodrama with boos and hisses.

"If you decide you want to play the games and be impressive for the cameras, help yourself," Smith said to Board President Linda Cordero.

But what concerns some parents is that these aren't characters in a play, they are educators.

"The whole point is there's bigger issues," said Joe Talaugon. "My kids, these kids, that's the issue."

Ariel: "Do you worry about how meetings like last night affect the district's image?"

"Of course, you have to," said District Superintendent Phil Alvarado.

"It's starting to feel like they don't care," Talaugon said. "There shouldn't be any bickering. [It] should be cut and dry. It's about the kids. Get them what they need. Get the teachers what they need."

Whether or not Smith stays on the board, Alvarado says the district's focus hasn't changed.

"The learning that goes on in the classroom and the services provided to kids still and will always be paramount in what we do."

Alvarado say he has not received the wave of phone calls from concerned parents following Wednesday night's meeting.

However, some people are so upset, the district says a couple of parents have asked how they can run for school board.

It will take 10,000 signatures before the community can hold a recall election. Smith is not up for re-election until 2014.

 

Permalink| Comments

The San Luis Obispo baseball team entered the CIF Southern Section playoffs with an expectation to win the Division-2 championship.  The Tigers had every reason to believe they could after a 21-4 regular season but San Luis Obispo ran into a tough pitcher in round one and lost, 3-2 to Redlands.  The game was played at Sinsheimer Field in San Luis Obispo.

The Tigers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first inning but were only able to get one run across.  San Luis Obispo had a runner thrown out at home in the second inning.

It looked like one run would be enough for Tigers starter Marco Murillo.  The senior had a shutout going through five innings as he and his teammates held the 1-0 lead.  In the sixth, Murillo got into trouble, a one out double was followed by a run scoring single to tie the game.  Redlands scored twice more to make it 3-1. 

San Luis Obispo loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the sixth but Sinjin Todd grounded out to first to end the inning. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Davey Casciola knocked in Murillo with a two-out single to make it 3-2.  Redlands pitcher Kevan Pardo then struck out Sean Maguire to end the game.

Murillo pitched a complete game and was 3-4 at the plate, he scored both of the Tigers runs.

Redlands advances to the second round of the Division-2 playoffs and will play again on Tuesday.  The Terreirs improve to 25-5, they finished third in the Citrus Belt League this season.  San Luis Obispo's season ends as does the career for eight Tigers seniors.

Permalink| Comments

A California Highway Patrol investigator confirms a car found badly burned in rural Santa Maria Monday morning is a Corvette.

The car was found a day after Fabian Alexander, 46, was killed in a hit and run on Highway 101 in Nipomo. Investigators have been looking for a blue Corvette in connection with the hit and run and say they don't know if the burned Corvette is the same car.

 

Permalink| Comments

Six Santa Maria residents have been arrested after a multi-week narcotics investigation ended on Wednesday.

Santa Barbara Sheriff's Narcotic's Detectives and the Santa Maria Police Department served a search warrant to Larry Weber on Wednesday evening. Authorities found a concealed loaded semi-automatic handgun on Weber and a quarter pound of methamphetamine and burglary tools in two vehicles associated with Weber. Tanya Valle was identified as the driver of one of the vehicles, and she was arrested for conspiracy to possess methamphetamines for sale.

Another probation search warrant was served in the 2400 block of N. Railroad Avenue in Santa Maria, and four more people were arrested. When officers arrived at the residence, Danny Chambers, who was inside, tried to hide. Police were able to contact him via telephone, and he gave himself up without incident. Chambers was already wanted for a probation violation warrant.

During the search of the residence, officers found another semi-automatic handgun inside of a vehicle. Authorities have confirmed that both of the guns they found had been stolen.

Police also arrested Manuel Garcia and charged him with violating his parole and Daniel Gil and Jessika Zepeda for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Weber is being held on $100,000 bail, Chambers and Garcia are being held without bail, Valle is being held on $30,000 bail, and Zepeda and Gil were cited and released.

 

Permalink| Comments

The case of a Santa Maria man who admitted killing his father and three other people four years ago is expected to go to a jury Friday afternoon.

A Santa Barbara County prosecutor presented final arguments Thursday afternoon in the sanity trial of Lee Leeds.

Leeds' attorney is expected to present their final argument Friday morning.

If Leeds is found to have been insane when he went on a shooting rampage at Black Road Auto, he will be committed to a state mental hospital. If the jury decides Leeds was sane at the time, he faces life in prison.

 

Permalink| Comments

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (AP) - Maybe he should be named Bob.

An Arabian horse named William got spooked during a California beachside photo shoot Tuesday and swam a mile out to sea before rescuers got to him and helped him back to shore.

Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Capt. Jay Irwin tells the Santa Barbara News-Press (http://bit.ly/LSknaq) that the horse's white head looked like a seagull bobbing in the water.

Owner Mindy Peters says the 6-year-old Arabian, whose official name is Heir of Temptation, was part of a photo clinic on the beach when it was spooked by waves and ran off.

Rescue swimmers assisted by the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol and state parks employees found the horse a mile offshore as darkness fell.

By 8:30 p.m., the horse was back on shore in good shape.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

 

Permalink| Comments

Just a week after a group began collecting signatures to recall Santa Maria School Board Member Will Smith, the district will consider publicly reprimanding him.

Smith was elected to the school board in November 2010.  Since then, police have been called four times to handle meeting disruptions the board blames on Smith.  However, Smith says he's speaking out to bring change to the district and raise issues about student safety and excessive spending.

Smith says the district is doing this to shut him up and get him off the board because they don't like the opposition.

Because of Smith, the U.S. Department of Education is now investigating whether the district is discriminating by not providing board meeting materials in English and Spanish.

Board President Linda Cordero plans to propose the censure at tonight's school board meeting. It documents specific instances of where she says smith has violated meeting laws, been unethical, racist, sexist, disrespectful, uncivil, and unprofessional.

Cordero encourages other board members to share their views, but says the attacks from Smith have become personal and get in the way of district business.

"When it becomes insulting and there is an attack on people and insinuations and allegations of wrongdoing on those in the audience or the rest of us as board members, it's just not right," Cordero said.

"I believe that this social club has been together for so long, they're set in their ways, and I don't think that they have the ability to be open minded and to hear anybody but themselves. If you don't agree with them, they want to attack you," Smith said.

Cordero hopes Smith will change his behavior. If not, she believes the recall group could use the information in the censure, which if approved, would become public record, to help them kick Smith off the board.

Smith says he hasn't done anything illegal and says the only way he'll leave is if the people vote him out.

Board members Jody Oliver, Ike Ochoa, and President Linda Cordero are all up for election in November.

 

Permalink| Comments